This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

M: Manual Mode

Once upon a time, long before digital cameras and program modes, there was manual mode. Only in those days it wasn’t called “manual mode,” because there were no other modes. It was just photography. In fact, many photographers cut their teeth on completely manual cameras. Let’s face it—if you want to learn the effects of aperture and shutter speed on your photography, there is no better way to learn than by setting these adjustments yourself. But today, with the advancement of camera technology, many new photographers never give this mode a second thought. That’s truly a shame, as it is not only an excellent way to learn your photography basics, it’s also an essential tool to have in your photographic bag of tricks.

When you have your camera set to Manual (M) mode, the camera meter will give you a reading of the scene you are photographing, but it’s your job to actually set both the f-stop (aperture) and the shutter speed to achieve a correct exposure. If you need a faster shutter speed, you will have to make the reciprocal change to your f-stop. Using any other mode, such as Shutter or Aperture Priority, would mean that you just have to worry about one of these changes, but Manual mode requires you to do it all yourself. This can be a little challenging at first, but after a while you will have a complete understanding of how each change affects your exposure, which will in turn improve the way that you use the other modes.

When to Use Manual Mode

When learning how each exposure element interacts with the others (Figure 4.12)

Figure 4.12. The camera was set to Manual so I could expose properly for the bright lights while still using a slow-enough shutter to enhance the feeling of motion that exists in Times Square.

When your environment is fooling your light meter and you need to maintain a certain exposure setting (Figure 4.13)

Figure 4.13. Beaches and snow are always a challenge for light meters. Add to that the desire to have exact control of depth of field and shutter speed, and you have a perfect scenario for Manual mode.

Figure 4.14. Although the meter was doing a pretty good job of exposing for the sky, I used Manual mode to push the foreground elements into complete silhouette and get richer color in the sunset.

Setting Up and Shooting in Manual Mode

Turn your camera on. Press the Mode dial release lock, and turn the Mode dial to align the M with the indicator line.

Set your ISO by pressing the ISO button; select the appropriate setting by looking at the ISO readout on the control panel or by pressing the Info button on the back of the camera and looking at the info display on the rear LCD monitor.

Point the camera at your subject, and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.

View the exposure information in the bottom area of the viewfinder or by pressing the Info button on the back of the camera and looking at the info display on the rear LCD monitor.

While the meter is activated, use your index finger to roll the Main Command dial left and right to change your shutter speed value until the exposure mark is lined up with the zero mark. The exposure information is displayed in the viewfinder (and on the rear LCD after pressing the Info button) (Figure 4.15) by a scale with marks that run from –2 to +2 stops. A proper exposure will line up with the taller mark in the middle. As the indicator moves to the left, it is a sign that you will be underexposing (not enough light on the sensor to provide adequate exposure). Move the indicator to the right and you will be providing more exposure than the camera meter calls for; this is overexposure.

To set your exposure using the aperture, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated. Then rotate the Sub-command dial to change the aperture. Rotate right for a smaller aperture (large f-stop number) and left for a larger aperture (small f-stop number).